Clicker Overview

Clickers, also known as personal response systems, have been used extensively in many colleges in recent years.  A growing body of evidence indicates that, when used appropriately, clickers can be effective in enhancing student engagement and learning.

Best practice:

1. provide one or more clicker questions every 10-15 minutes
2. use clicker questions to introduce new concepts (to assess initial perceptions) and to evaluate student understanding at the close of a topic
3. create clicker questions that involve critical-thinking exercises
4. treat clicker questions as think-pair-share exercises in which students discuss their answers with each other before submitting responses (or have them first vote individually, followed by a discussion with a fellow student, and a revote)
5. use this as a low-stakes testing environment in which wrong answers do not have a very adverse effect on grades.

Do not:

1. use clickers primarily as a way of taking attendance - students will resent buying a clicker that is used just to record their presence.
2. primarily use clicker questions at the beginning or end of classes (or it may seem as if you are using them primarily to take attendance.

Resources:

• Vanderbilt University's extensive blibliography of resources on clicker use in most academic disciplines
• Starting Point's Bibliography on using clickers in a variety of disciplines. 
• Carl Weiman Science Education Initiative clicker resource web site.

SUNY-Oswego workshop videos

• "Integrating i>clicker and Blackboard" - John Kane, January 13, 2016
• "Panel Session of i>clicker users" - Panel of i<clicker users, January 13, 2016
• "What does research tell us about clicker use?" - John Kane, January 13, 2016
• "Panel Discussion on Clicker Use" Liz Dunne Schmitt. Valentina Kozlova, David Andrews, Michael Smith, Kevin White, and John Kane, May 23, 2014
• "What does research tell us about clicker use?" - John Kane, May 23, 2014
• "What does research tell us about student learning?" - John Kane, September 6, 2013
• "Using clickers in the classroom" - John Kane, September 3, 2013
• "Panel discussion on clickers" - Liz Dunne Schmitt, Kevin White, John Kane, May 31, 2013
• "What Does Research Tell us About Clicker Use?" - John Kane, May 31, 2013
• "Using i>clickers"- Kathy LaQuadra, Senior Technology Specialist at i>clicker, August 29, 2012 
• "Using Clickers in the Classoom: How Might They be Used to Increase Student Learning?" - Bill Goffe and Larry Fuller, April 3, 2009